A Democratic Congressman from Illinois told his constituents that he does not worry about the constitution when it comes to the health care bill signed into law last week by the president, before misquoting from the Declaration of Independence and claiming he had read the 2700 page legislation three times.

Representative Phil Hare made the comments at a meeting yesterday with his constituents in Quincy that was captured on camera.

As Hare was questioned over the constitutionality of forcing 30 million Americans to buy insurance from private companies, one member of the public asked “where in the Constitution” it says the government can do that.

“I don’t worry about the Constitution on this to be honest,” Hare replied.

“I care more about the people that are dying every day that don’t have health insurance,” Hare said.

A d v e r t i s e m e n t

“It’s people’s lives. It’s people’s children. It’s when you take your child to the hospital and you think it’s really bad and your heart is thumping, thumping, thumping while you’re waiting for the doctor to tell you what it is and then the doctor comes out and says it’s going to be ok, except you don’t have insurance and you’re stuck with a $10 or $15,000 bill…”

“You care more about that than the U.S. Constitution, which you swore to uphold?” one of the constituents asked.

“I believe it says we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Hare fired back, before someone else in the room corrected the Congressman, noting that that line is found in the Declaration of Independence.

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Hare said. “Either one.”

Hare then asked what the question was again, to which the constituent repeated “Where in the Constitution does it give you the authority…?”

“I don’t know.” Hare angrily interrupted.

The Congressman also claimed that he had read the health care bill three times in the time since it was made public, a total of 8100 pages. When the constituents challenged the possibility of such a feat, Hare stormed out and left in a waiting vehicle, refusing to say how long it had taken to read the bill three times.

Given the fact that fourteen states have initiated lawsuits to block the enactment of the bill, and leading constitutional scholars have noted that the bill contravenes the commerce clause, it is perhaps no wonder that Hare does not know how the bill can be squared with the Constitution.